Dothack Hunters
by P1Bres
Summary: Ryou Misaki, like most monster hunters, wasn't exactly best known by his real name. Of course, he wasn't known by his chosen codename of 'Haseo', either. At least not as known as he was by the title the 'Terror of Death'. At least, that's how the story begins. [AU: The World isn't a game, avatars are monsters. Haseo/Azure Kite]
1. The Start

**Well... I'm horrible about ever actually sharing fics here and keeping up to date with them... But why not? I recently got into .hack and had an idea for this fic. A shame that there's only a SIGN category bc I'm gonna feel bad putting a G.U. focused story there (though Sora will be important to the story in a few ways), but eh...**

* * *

Ryou Misaki, like most monster hunters, wasn't exactly best known by his real name. Of course, he wasn't known by his chosen codename of 'Haseo', either. At least not as known as he was by the title the 'Terror of Death'.

The Terror of Death… Apparently a name plucked right out of past catastrophe and given to him… It didn't matter much to him, though. It wasn't as if it affected him in any major way. If anything, it brought the types he wanted to him faster…

After all, the types to hunt other hunters almost always had their ear to the ground… And someone with their ear to the ground was more likely to have information about a mysterious and dangerous monster than your usual by the book hunters.

Of course, it didn't mean much when no one seemed to have any information about the monster known as Tri-Edge… It made his frustration grow, but at least some of it could be nipped by felling those he asked…

Not that he actually killed them, though. Not on the off chance they'd drag themselves off and find something out, try to mock him with their knowledge or bargain for some levity in Haseo's attack using it… Anything could get him closer to Tri-Edge.

Closer to saving Shino.

He could still remember the day she invited him to the Hulle Granz Cathedral, the day tragedy had struck. Walking in, watching her fall to the ground, begging her to stay with him… Watching her succumb to her wound, falling into a deep sleep… The strange black pattern that grew across her stomach growing as he dragged her body to town and begged someone to help him…

He shook his head, trying to ignore the feelings of pain those memories dredged up. He would save her from her affliction, no matter what it took.

He walked down the streets of Mac Anu, thinking about his next move, when he noticed he was being watched… Sakaki from Moon Tree, along with that girl that looked so much like Shino… Atoli was it? Of course they had to be here, they'd been bothering him for a week now. He needed to move bases to another town or something…

"Sakaki." He looked down at the little brat, still trying to wrap his head around the fact he was able to get so high up in this apparently huge guild so quickly. "Do you want something?"

Sakaki looked up at him, face full of the usual amount of pure vanity he usually had in place. "I'm here to talk about your hunting of other hunters, Terror of Death. You're no different from them, hunting those weaker than them-"

"Shouldn't your babysitter there tell you not to shove your nose in other's business?" He gestured towards Atoli. "I'll do what I want and your preaching isn't gonna stop me."

"Please…" Atoli frowned. "Sakaki just wants to help you be a better you! If you-"

"I don't care what Sakaki wants to do!" Haseo shook his head, turning away. "I have no interest in listening to you if what you propose doesn't get me closer to my goal!"

Before Sakaki or Atoli could even try and say something to him, a ping alerted them to the fact a message had come through to Haseo. He pulled out the small, mechanical item. A new creation, infused with magic to make sure it worked… And a useful one for staying in contact with those close to you.

Not that Haseo had many people like that anymore.

He did, however, recognize this name. Ovan, the guildmaster of the Twilight Brigade, a place he'd held so close to his heart for so long… And a man he'd held so much respect for, before he disappeared.

But here he was, messaging Haseo and telling him to meet him at Arche Koeln Waterfall. He'd been gone so long and this was the first sign he'd given to show he was back… His lower lip quivered and he bit into it to try and stop any tears that could come.

Atoli let out a gasp, trying to place a hand on his arm. "You're bleeding…!"

Without a word, she was shrugged off and Haseo was making his way to the dome. He would get to the Chaos Gate and would get to Ovan, see what he wanted… Hope against all hope that maybe he could tell him something about Tri-Edge.

"Arche Koeln Waterfall." He placed his hand against the Chaos Gate as he spoke, the familiar and uncomfortable feeling of magic warping his body falling across him.

A place he knew all too well, Haseo sucked in a breath when he saw Ovan standing there in the distance. Now wasn't the time to let feelings of the past sneak up on him. He needed to stay focused on his current plans and goals.

"Ovan!"

There he was, standing tall and mysterious as he always had before he disappeared and left the Twilight Brigade to flounder and die. At first, Haseo thought he hadn't heard him, but finally he did turn around, their eyes meeting.

"It's been a long time, Haseo." He pulled his gaze away. "Or maybe I should call you "The Terror of Death"?"

Haseo said nothing, doing his best to keep his face neutral. Commenting on that now would just serve to derail the conversation.

"You've gotten quite a bit stronger. A lot stronger than you were back then."

"Well, I was forced to become stronger…" He shrugged. "Thanks to you. You. Where have you been?"

"Haseo. Always the reliable one. I knew I could count on you." Shrugging off the question, it seemed, Ovan began walking towards Haseo. Only to brush past him, speaking so casually…

Haseo turned his gaze towards him, not letting him out of his sight. Not this time. "When the Twilight Brigade broke up, why didn't you come then? What have you been doing the last six months?!"

"I was busy. It was such a small seed." There Ovan went again, as cryptic as ever. "I needed to find out what was growing inside. And there was only one way to find out. That's why I decided to raise it."

With every word, he took a step away and Haseo just watched. Unsure if he should try to chase after him, if that would prove fruitful in any way or not… This was all so confusing…

"You raised it?" He took a stumbling step forward. "What are you talking about, Ovan?"

Ovan finally turned to face him again, right before hitting the Chaos Gate. "I'm speaking figuratively."

Haseo straightened out his shoulders, taking another step towards him. "When you suddenly disappeared, we all just…" He cut himself off. "Why did you disappear like that?!"

Ovan said nothing, as if waiting for Haseo to continue… He didn't need much prodding to do that, eyes travelling to look at the ground instead of the man.

"After that, Shino…"

"Haseo, do you want to know about Tri-Edge?" Ovan spoke, right before the silence that fell could become suffocating… And the way he mentioned him so casually, too.

"Wait, you know Tri-Edge?!" Were things about to change for Haseo?!

"Six months now, and Shino hasn't recovered even a bit since Tri-Edge attacked her. No one seems to know the reason why." He looked to the sky. "Tri-Edge. He is not a normal monster."

"So you knew about Shino?" Even when he hadn't shown his face in Mac Anu once since up and leaving?

"Yes, but that's all that I know." Ah, so maybe he'd heard it through whispers and rumors spreading around… "But if you were to find Tri-Edge, you might learn something about Shino's condition… You may also learn more about what really happened that day. And if you were somehow to defeat Tri-Edge…"

"Then maybe Shino's condition would start to change for the better."

A small nod. "If my information is correct, he will be back today… At the scene of the crime."

"The scene of the crime?" Haseo thought for a moment, eyes widening in realization. "You mean-"

"The Hulle Granz Cathedral, the place Shino was attacked."

"The Hulle Granz Cathedral…" He gripped his hands together, teeth grinding. "Yes, finally. I'll get my chance! I swear I'll make Shino better! I'll do it, Ovan!"

"Yes. You and I. We're the only ones who could possibly help her recover."

"We're the only ones." Haseo jumped a bit when Ovan once again began walking away. "Ovan?"

"I'll meet you at the Cathedral. There are some things I must do." And with that, he was gone. Fine by Haseo, he would just be there first. Get the first strike in on Tri-Edge, even.

He wasted no time doing just that. He stocked up on any supplies he needed and made it to the Hulle Granz Cathedral. No Ovan in sight, but he couldn't bring himself to just wait. He needed to find Tri-Edge and he needed to find him now .

He made his way into the building, coming to a stop in front of the altar. The fabled goddess statue still gone and Tri-Edge's mark still an ugly red sight to behold… He closed his eyes, sucking in a deep breath. He needed to stay calm.

It was hard to when a blue flame appeared as soon as he opened his eyes, stopping in front of him. Soon enough, the flame was replaced by a figure, the figure of Tri-Edge.

He's green eyes looked empty, staring straight through him. His skin was an ashy, inhuman grey, enough to prove him non-human; though even if it had been a natural color the scales the same color as his hair scattered across his body would be enough to give it away.

His hands and feet where clawed and had the clearest smattering of scales, as if they were weapons of their own. Weapons he didn't even choose to use as he summoned dual blades, continuing to stare right through Haseo.

"Tri-Edge…!"

He wasted no time brandishing his own weapon and attacking mercilessly. Switching between all he had on him at as quick a pace as he could manage. If he could be unrelenting enough, there would be sure to be a chip in his armor…!

Or so he thought, but every attack was deflected without as much as a blink from Tri-Edge. Eventually, his weapons began to break under the duress of constant attack and he was left with only his scythe.

Before Haseo could leap forward to continue trying to attack, Tri-Edge let out a breath. A breath that was very clearly not normal, seeing as the same blue flame he appeared in seemed to escape from him, catching the scythe on fire.

He dropped it with a curse, turning back to Tri-Edge just in time to see him extending his hand. Before he could even form a thought of what to do, watching something glowing form around his arm, it shot out at him.

He felt like his soul was being ripped from his body, a scream loosening from his throat as he fell to his knees. After a moment, the feeling was gone, but he didn't feel right, as if something was missing… As he fell to the ground, consciousness fading and Tri-Edge leaving, a voice crept into his head.

"The soul will soon become whole again."

Haseo didn't even have a chance to think on what that could mean before his head finally hit the floor of the Cathedral and everything went dark.

* * *

**Azure Kite - Dragon**


	2. The Aftermath

**Here's chapter 2! *blows kiss* For Haseo.**

* * *

"The soul will soon become whole again."

The last words he'd heard before falling unconscious on the Cathedral's floor were still ringing in Haseo's head when he opened his eyes. His body felt weak, heavy… He wanted to continue to fade in and out of consciousness for as long as he could…

But a voice let out a yell and woke him up totally. "Silabus! He woke up!"

Finally, he looked around and realized he wasn't still in the Hulle Granz Cathedral. It looked like it was some boarding room in a guild of some sort, small and cozy… Not the kind of place Haseo would have chosen to spend time on his own.

He looked over and saw a round, pink, dog-like creature. One of the half monsters that ran around the city…? Why would one of those guys be around him? Outside of Phyllo, most of them would avoid him (and even now, Phyllo was…).

Shaking his head, Haseo finally sat up, letting out a groan and holding his side. He was aching all over… What the hell had Tri-Edge done to him to make him feel like that?

The little pink guy tried to get him to stop moving as a man in green entered the room, probably the Silabus that was mentioned. "Good thing you called me, Gaspard! Hey, you shouldn't be getting up yet."

Haseo frowned at him. "I don't have time to be laying around… I need to find Tri-Edge."

"Tri-Edge?!" Gaspard gasped, looking Haseo over. "Oh… Kuhn wasn't lying about you really having been strong when he brought you here!"

Haseo furrowed his brow. "Kuhn?"

Silabus nodded. "Yeah, our old guildmaster brought you here to Canard. Said you were strong, but needed some help." He pulled a paper from his pocket, handing it to Haseo. "He said when you're feeling better, you should meet him there."

Haseo took it and frowned, having no interest in doing something like that. There was already plenty for him to do, there was no point in meeting up with someone who dragged him away from answers.

Then again, he was so sore he wasn't sure he'd have been able to drag himself out of the Cathedral on his own…

No! He would have been fine! He couldn't start thinking like that or Shino would never recover…

"Uh…" Gaspard cleared his throat. "If you want, you can use our restroom. Your armor was pretty trashed so we tried to find some we think you can handle right now!"

"That I can handle right now?"

"Well, Kuhn said you were strong, but… the reason he said you needed some help is most of your strength was actually gone and would need to be rebuilt." Silabus gave an awkward laugh, scratching his cheek.

He blinked a few times, trying to take it in. What the hell had Tri-Edge done to him if that was the case?! This had to be a joke.

"Where's the restroom? Point me to it, now."

"O-over there." Silabus pointed and Haseo wasted no time making his way over there, slamming the door shut behind him.

He looked into the mirror, letting out a groan when he realized he was covered in bandages. Pulling one back, he almost felt sick. He could see that the skin under them was not looking good…

Shaking his head, Haseo looked forward again, trying to get his bearings, only to be thrown off yet again. How long had his eyes been red…? Last he'd checked, they were brown.

He stared for a moment, unsure of what to do until a knock came at the door. "Uhhh, are you okay in there? Let us know if you need any help!" Gaspard…

"I'm fine!"

Haseo finally located the apparent armor they left him, similar to the stuff he used to wear, before running into Tri-Edge… He stared at it for longer than he'd like to admit before he finally starting putting it on, hissing through the pain it caused. As much as he hated to admit it, he wouldn't have been able to handle his actual stuff with how he was feeling.

One last glance and he noticed a set of dual blades left out for him. That was right… his actual weapons had been broken and burnt to a crisp. God, the more he thought about what had happened, the more pissed he was.

"Tri-Edge…" He grit his teeth and finally stepped out, Silabus and Gaspard waiting and watching him curiously.

"So, uh…" Silabus spoke up again. "If you need anything, feel free to find one of us! Canard is here to help…"

"We hope your talk with Kuhn goes well…!" Gaspard spoke up as Silabus trailed off. "H-he seemed to think you guys talking was really important."

Haseo frowned at him, looking at the note he'd been handed once again. The bridge is where he wanted to meet, huh? Then Haseo would make it a point to avoid that part of town. "I'm not planning on seeing any old guildmaster of yours."

"Huh?" Silabus blinked.

"B… but Kuhn saved you! Don't you think you could just hear him out?" Gaspard frowned up at him, clearly upset by his comment.

"No way." Haseo shook his head and turned away, wincing when it hurt. "...I have too much to do to waste my time meeting with some guy."

"You don't seem like you're in a position to do much right now." Silabus moved to stand next to him. "A little rest time in Mac Anu could do you some good-"

He held up a hand and stormed towards the exit, ignoring the pain as he went. "I don't have time for this. Thanks for helping me out or whatever, but leave me alone from here on out, okay?"

Without another word, he was out the door. Last thing he needed was more nagging when he felt like this.

For now, he needed to figure out where to go from here. He was pretty sure he wouldn't find Tri-Edge at the Cathedral anymore, so there'd be no point in going there… He didn't know where Ovan had gone, either, thanks to rushing off ahead, so he couldn't ask him for advice…

He was once again on his own, as usual. Maybe it was better that way, anyway. If he handled it alone, there couldn't be any more incidents like the one with Shino.

He turned on his heel, prepared to get right to the Chaos Gate, when Atoli nearly ran right into him. He barely moved out of the way of a lot of pain and probably yelling too, knowing him. What was she doing, heading towards the guilds so quickly, anyway? She didn't seem the type to have business with the small fry guilds around here…

"Oh, I'm sorry…!" Atoli looked almost embarrassed as she backed up a few steps. "I should have been paying closer attention to where I was going…!"

"Whatever, just pay more attention next time." He moved to brush past her, the note Silabus had given him falling out of his pocket. Whatever, wasn't like he needed it.

Atoli, however, bent down to pick it up as soon as she noticed. "Wait, you dropped this…!"

He turned to snatch it from her, just to get her to shut up, only to see her eyes were wide. She looked from the writing on the paper, to him, and back to the paper. Maybe he should just leave her to stare at it, no reason to grab it back if she had nothing to say.

"E-excuse me, but are you planning on going to see this Kuhn too?" Atoli pulled out a nearly identical note from her pocket, presenting both to Haseo. "I was worried about this note, but knowing someone else has it makes me feel more at ease about going!"

"I'm not planning on going, no." Haseo shook his head, arms crossed against his chest. "I don't have time to be running around seeing what others want from me."

"Oh…" Atoli deflated a bit at that. "I was hoping we could go together, though…"

"No way." He scoffed, turning and starting his trek back towards the Dome. "You can go on your own."

"B...but…!" Haseo was starting to drown out her voice. So annoying- "I have information on Tri-Edge!"

She yelled it out and Haseo came to a stop, turning to look at her, eyes wide. "What?"

"W… well it's just a rumor, b… but it's a rumor you don't know!" Atoli steeled herself, squaring her shoulders. "Come meet this Kuhn with me and I'll tell you what I know!"

Dammit… Haseo couldn't let any possible information on Tri-Edge pass him by, no matter how annoying it would be to get…

"Fine, but you're telling me as soon as we get there!"

"Yes, of course!"


	3. The Proposition

**Time to play catch up and post every single chapter that's already on Ao3 in one go!**

* * *

The first thing Haseo noticed when he and Atoli approached the bridge was a man who would seem one hundred percent human, were it not for a forked tail swaying behind him. Was this the Kuhn he'd been told about, or a stranger who happened to be odd and there by happenstance?

"Excuse me…!" Atoli approached him first, Haseo forced to trail behind. "Are you Kuhn?"

He turned to look at them, a smile on his face. "Yeah, I am. You must be Atoli, right?"

"Yes!"

"And you're Haseo…" Kuhn seemed almost relieved to see both of them. "I'm glad you both decided to come. We have some important things to talk about."

"Yeah, well can we hurry up with that, then?" Haseo crossed his arms. "I'm only here because I was promised information about Tri-Edge if I came, I have no interest in whatever you wanna talk about."

"At least you're frank about it…" Kuhn gave an awkward laugh as he scratched his cheek. "A...anyway, come on. I can't exactly explain it all here, so we'll go to Raven."

"Raven?" Haseo furrowed his brow and Atoli tilted her head to the side.

"The Guild I'm part of, the guildmaster'll be able to help explain things to you faster and no one'll be able to overhear."

Now that just made Haseo angry. He'd come here for information on Tri-Edge… To the bridge, not to any place else! He looked at Atoli, eyes narrowing as he leaned closer to her.

"What's the information you have on Tri-Edge?"

"N… no!" Atoli shook her head. "I won't tell you until after we hear Kuhn out!"

God dammit , was she moving the goalposts? He felt like she was moving the goalposts and he didn't like it! He wanted to argue or to say to hell with all this, but… He knew that'd do him no good with the position he was in. He'd just have to grit his teeth and bear it for now.

"Fine…"

"Then follow me." Kuhn gestured and started walking, leaving the two to trail behind him. "As a warning, it might be a lot to take in at first, but… I think you guys can handle it."

Atoli smiled at him, nodding. "Thank you! I'll do my best."

Soon enough, they made it into a guild building. It looked about the same as Canard's, and the same as the Twilight Brigade's used to look… He shook his head, trying to forget about it. Now wasn't the time to be getting all sad and sentimental.

"Welcome to Raven." Kuhn gestured around. "We'll be going-"

"Kuhn, there you are." A woman with pink hair in two high ponytails walked into the room. That, however, wasn't the thing that really stood out to Haseo.

She was like the Kuhn guy, looking as if she was fully human save a few features. The one that was most obvious were the horns on her head, standing out against her red and gold outfit. They were so distracting Haseo almost didn't notice the tail when she turned around.

"Master Yata's been waiting for a while now." The woman was clearly annoyed. "I thought I told you to be back an hour earlier."

"Well, I couldn't do that, Pi! I found Haseo unconscious and there was no way to be sure he'd wake up at a specific time…" Kuhn rubbed the side of his neck, letting out an awkward laugh. "I got here as soon as I could!"

The Pi woman let out a sigh, walking towards the back of the guild. "Bring them this way. It's time they learn what G.U. is really for."

"G.U.?" Haseo grabbed Kuhn by the shoulder. "I thought you said this place was Raven!"

Pi looked back at them, eyes narrowed. "You didn't tell them?"

"I couldn't risk mentioning it out in the open!" Kuhn turned to Haseo after replying to Pi. "Raven is the name everyone thinks the guild has, but we're really G.U. The name's just to throw people off."

"I don't think I trust a group that hides their real name." Haseo crossed his arms, looking at Atoli. "Do you?"

"Um…" Atoli wrung her hands together. "I'm not sure, honestly... Sakaki told me I shouldn't come and now I'm thinking I should have listened to him…"

"Young lady, I know it's likely scary for you, but I promise if you stay, things will make plenty of sense." Pi's voice was softer as she spoke to Atoli.

"Well, alright." She looked at Haseo. "Let's keep going…!"

Dammit.

They followed after Kuhn and Pi, into an area Pi called the "Serpent of Lore". Waiting there was a guy who, if Haseo had to guess, was around his age. Just a lot buffer and a lot snootier. Was this the Master Yata guy that Pi had mentioned when they first got here?

He finally looked up at them, eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. "I see you've finally brought them, Kuhn."

"Yeah… Lucky me, they showed up together!"

Haseo shook his head, cutting off any other niceties that could go through the room. "Alright, no more. Tell me what's up with this G.U. thing so I can get out of here and get the information I was promised." He punctuated his statement with a glare towards Atoli.

Atoli swallowed hard. "I-I would also like to know what's going on…"

Yata chuckled, shaking his head. "I see you're both eager to learn the truth… You see, on the surface, Raven is just any other guild you could find. The only interesting part about it is that we rarely, if ever, look for new members…" He waved a hand and a screen appeared. On it, specific monsters known to stalk the lands. "However, G.U.'s true purpose is hunting down creatures like these, before they cause more instability in the area than they already have."

Haseo frowned. "And what's that got to do with us?"

"We're not a guild of any old monster hunters." Yata shook his head. "Every member has the ability to connect with some sort of creature, ones that can actually destroy these and protect the human from the harm usually caused."

"The harm usually caused…?" Atoli tilted her head to the side.

"Yes. I'm sure as a Harvest Cleric, Atoli, you've seen the afflicted. Stuck in a deep sleep, a strange black pattern growing across the wounds they had, no way to fix it…" Yata looked at Haseo. "Like Shino."

"Bastard! Don't say her name!" Haseo stepped forward a bit too quickly, flinching back as he pulled one of his wounds too far. "Don't bring Shino into your guild talk…"

"Don't you talk to Master Yata that way!" Pi stepped forward. "Our goal is to help the Lost One's like Shino, there's no way for him to not 'bring her in' to the conversation."

He grit his teeth, anger bubbling. "You're only bringing her up to try and get me to listen to you!"

"But of course." Yata spoke up again. "Atoli, in all my research, seems receptive to G.U.'s plans, you, however… It seems your interest lies only in Tri-Edge."

"Tri-Edge…" He balled his hands into fists. "What do you know about Tri-Edge?"

"We know that you're hunting him, and that he's believed to be behind a large number of Lost Ones." Pi spoke up. "We also know that we can find him, if you agree to work with us."

"I-"

"Please, wait a moment!" Atoli spoke up, cutting the others off. "I still don't understand! Why ask us, if the Guild is only for special humans, who can connect with monsters? I'm not sure about Haseo, but I can't do anything like that!"

Yata once again chuckled. "It may seem like that, but you are both candidates. It's simply a case of helping you awaken to your potential. Once that happens, the creatures will be drawn to you."

Haseo thought for a moment, closing his eyes. This seemed crazy, but…

"Would the monsters say something about a soul becoming whole again?"

Yata looked at him, head tilted ever so slightly to the side. "Perhaps. Would you go into more detail?"

"No." He shook any thoughts of trusting G.U. out of his mind. "This is stupid!"

"It's a lot to take in…" Atoli put a hand to her lips, deep in thought. "I-I don't know what to say. I have an obligation to Moon Tree-"

"You may remain in any other guild while also working with G.U., that would not be an issue…" Yata paused. "So long as you're willing and able to come when duty calls."

"I see…" Atoli continued to think. "Well… If I have the potential and it would help people, I…"

"You expect us to just answer when you put us on the spot?" Haseo scoffed. "Trying to corner us into saying yes? It's not gonna happen!"

Yata had just the hint of a smile on his lips when he spoke again. "Then I'll give you both a day. Think on it, the potential power a creature contracted to you could bring. The ways you could help people… And then give me an answer."

Atoli nodded as Haseo just turned to walk out the door. Soon enough, she was rushing to catch up to him. "I-I'll be sure to come back with an answer tomorrow!"

And Haseo planned on never coming back.

They walked out of the Serpent of Lore, finally making it back to the entrance of the guild. Haseo turned to look at Atoli. "I need to get going, tell me what you know about Tri-Edge, now."

"Oh, of course! Thank you so much for coming with me." She nodded, tapping her chin. "The last I heard from others at Moon Tree was that Tri-Edge was spotted at…"

"At?!"

"The Hulle Granz Cathedral! Apparently someone saw him defeating a hunter there before leaving!"

"Oh goddammit!"

* * *

**Magus - Incubus**

**Tarvos - Minotaur**


	4. The Guild

**OwO? What's this? A cameo from a SIGN character?**

* * *

Haseo was angry, oh so angry. He'd thought he'd been close to more information on Tri-Edge, but no. Atoli had just heard about his own run in with Tri-Edge not too long ago… It made everything with that visit to the G.U. group thing pointless…!

Now he just needed to get out of town, before someone tried to muscle him in going back and saying he'd join up. After the stunt Atoli had pulled and the way Yata had talked, he was sure one thing or another would push him to if he stayed in Mac Anu… Maybe he'd go to Lumina Cloth until all of this blew over.

He walked along, planning his escape. He'd need to stock up on healing items of sorts, maybe grab some better weapons… He thankfully still had the Gold on hand that he'd had when fighting Tri-Edge. At least Kuhn and those Canard guys weren't thieves or something along similar lines…

If they were, he would be pretty sure that his life was on a downward spiral that would be almost impossible to get out of. The last thing he needed right now.

Soon enough, he was heading for the shops, thoughts focused on getting back to the hunt and letting things blow over. That was, until he heard a familiar voice. One of those hunters who got a kick out of hurting (and sometimes even killing) other hunters, almost more than killing the monsters they were all supposed to go after.

He didn't remember her name, but her voice was familiar. Befitting a bratty fourteen year old who thought she could do as she pleased. He was about to try and ignore her when he heard what sounded like Gaspard letting out a weak yell. What the hell was going on…?

Rounding the corner, Haseo planned on simply taking a peek at what was happening before going back to his business. No reason for him to stick his nose into things for more time than was needed, after all…

But he couldn't help but be a bit pissed off at what he saw.

Bordeaux, as young as she might be, had no real good excuse for treating Gaspard the way she currently was. A foot on his stomach as he tried and failed to get up, while her two closest goons held Silabus back. Why were all the hunters like them so unbearable?

"So your little guild is still running, huh?" Her voice was laced with venom as she stared Silabus down. "You haven't even gotten your numbers up enough to face us head on, either! You need to get to closing the guild now or man up enough to face us head on."

"Come on… can't we all just get along…?" Silabus was eyeing Gaspard, clearly wanting to run to the boy to help him out. "You're part of a guild so big, I don't see how Canard could be causing you issues…"

"You shut up!" Negimaru snapped, pressing one of his blades closer to Silabus's neck. "You have no right to talk to Bordeaux! You listen to what she tells you, you don't try to reason with her!"

Haseo watched for a few more moments, trying to decide if approaching now would be a good idea. He was still in a lot of pain, might not be able to hold his own very well, but… Maybe they'd be freaked out if they saw him and that'd be enough. He could always hope, at least.

It'd be a bit annoying to hear this while trying to focus on buying supplies after all.

"Hey!" He approached, doing his best to hide the fact his sudden movements had sent a jolt of pain through his body. "Shouldn't you guys be looking for some information of Tri-Edge to try and scrounge up some pity next time you run into me?"

Bordeaux looked at him, clearly upset by seeing him. However, she recovered quickly enough, looking as smarmy as ever. "Haseo! Don't think I didn't hear about your little run-in with Tri-Edge already! If you wanna act tough, you better actually act."

"Haseo…!" Gaspard's eyes were filled with tears as he continued to struggle under her foot. "Help…!"

"The only way you're gonna be able to help them with how you are now, is if it turns out you're actually a member of their little guild. Maybe then we'll give all three of you a fighting chance!"

He was pretty sure she was lying, but maybe if he said yes, it would get her to knock it the hell off for now. He could pretend to be part of the guild for a while, it'd be like being part of it in name only or something…

"Yeah, I was on my way to join up, actually."

"Y...yeah!" Silabus seemed to catch on to what was going on. "In fact, he's planning on becoming the new guildmaster!"

Now that wasn't at all what Haseo wanted, but right now all he could do was nod along. He needed to just go what was being said in order to get these guys to go the hell away, even if he'd suffer for it.

"Then let's do it." She finally stepped off Gaspard, allowing the boy to scramble to his feet and hide behind Haseo. "Show me what you've got, Haseo!"

Haseo was about to do his best, despite Gaspard's tugging and Silabus's mumbles about running away. He'd never live that down… If hunters like this didn't take him seriously, he'd never get stronger and be able to really take on Tri-Edge…

"Stop right there!" A man Haseo had met once, who called himself a silver knight, approached and Bordeaux grimaced.

"Of course, someone worse than Moon Tree." She rolled her eyes, turning to her goons. "Come on, we're not dealing with this!"

And with that, off they went, leaving Haseo and company to stare after them. Man, Haseo guessed this guy just had an annoying air about him that made people wanna get away. He sure had that effect on him, at the very least.

Silver Knight had turned his gaze on him by then. "You-"

"If you're about to say you wanna be friends again, I don't wanna hear it." Haseo shook his head. "The less I have to deal with your type, the better."

Silver Knight frowned, crossing his arms. "You're still so opposed to it, then…? I suppose it's a good thing that a closer look at you has made me second-guess my offer."

"What?" He furrowed his brow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Silver Knight shook his head. "You look like you could be him , from the shape of your face to that scar of yours…"

Haseo's hand instinctively rose to the scar on his cheek, one he had no memory of getting. He felt a pit settle in his stomach as the words processed. There was a good year or two missing from his memory, from even before he'd been struck with an affliction that was apparently similar to the one Shino was currently suffering…

Anytime he thought on it, Haseo's stomach churned.

"Fine by me, if I never see you again, it'd be too soon." With that, he turned on his heel and stormed off, Silabus and Gaspard chasing after him.

Everything felt so far off right now, the voices of Silabus and Gaspard barely registering in his ears as they walked. Where was he even leading them? He wasn't sure, just away from Silver Knight.

"You know, I never noticed that scar of yours…"

Don't think about it, never think about it...

"...Sorry for dropping guildmaster on you so suddenly, but I'm sure you'll do fine…"

It doesn't matter, whatever happened doesn't matter…

He almost screamed when Silabus put a hand on his shoulder. "S...sorry, are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" He shook his head. "You were… uh… talking about the guildmaster thing, right? I don't have any interest in doing that, I hope you realize that."

Silabus and Gaspard seemed to not be phased at all by the comment as they shared a look. This was giving Haseo a feeling that he was going to be pressured into saying yes to being guildmaster. Great, when he was planning on trying to get the hell out of here…

"Well… Uh, if you don't become our guildmaster, Bordeaux will catch on quickly!" Silabus smiled at him. "Besides, you're going to do great!"

"Yeah! You already stepped up to protect us, you're gonna be an amazing guildmaster!" Gaspard beamed up at him and Haseo had to look away. Dammit…

"Fine! But you better not expect me to do all that much! I have my own goals I need to focus on!" Canard meant nothing to him in the grand scheme of things.

"Of course, of course…" Silabus walked around him and Haseo realized he'd stalked off towards Canard itself without thinking about it. "Wait right here, just one job for you before you go."

"Are you kidding me?!"

"It's a pretty easy job!" Gaspard seemed to think Haseo's issue was going to be the difficulty of the job, then. Seriously? "I'm sure you'll do great, Haseo!"

Soon enough, Silabus was back with a bag of supplies. "Take this to where the Harvest Clerics are usually helping the afflicted, please! That's usually my job, but now that you're guildmaster…"

"So it's an errand." He felt his heart squeeze, knowing who he'd find there. Shino…

"I guess, but the Harvest Clerics always appreciate it, so…" Silabus gave an awkward laugh as Haseo took the bag. "Thank you, really!"

"Whatever…" He turned on his heel and started walking away, ignoring the calls from the two about him needing to know where they set up camp. He knew it all too well…

Soon enough, he was there, handing the bag with a mumbled explanation to one of the half monsters in charge. While he was here, he supposed he could visit her…

Walking into the building fully, he made his way to the bed where Shino lay. In as deep a sleep as she had been since the day he found her, the black spread across her entire chest by now. Shino… He wanted so badly to help her, but he had no clue what he could do…

"Haseo…" Tabby's voice hit his ears and he turned to look. He'd forgotten the girl had started volunteering here ever since Shino had…

"Tabby." His voice was tense as he tried to press memories of the Twilight Brigade out of his head. "How has she been?"

Her ears pressed against her head. "N… no change, Haseo. I'm sorry."

He sighed and turned back to Shino, holding one of her hands in his own. It was so cold… If he didn't know better, he would think she was dead.

The only thing he wanted to do was help her, but how? Was there anything he could do to help her? Everything on his own had led him nowhere so far… But what else could he even try?

That was when Yata's words came back to mind. G.U. seemed certain that they could deal with the issue, point him towards Tri-Edge… Maybe G.U. was the key to Haseo saving Shino…

Maybe he would actually stick around, so long as he could make it clear he was in it for himself and his own goals only. For Shino...


	5. The Deal

**And with this chapter, it'll be caught up to ao3 and I can just update em both at the same time.**

* * *

Haseo, after visiting Shino and running another number of errands as the new guildmaster of Canard, had come to a decision. He would join G.U., only for the chance at getting closer to his goals. And he planned on making that very clear to Yata and the others.

He approached G.U., sucking in a breath. It was weird, actually walking back here to tell them his choice…

"Alright, it's now or never…"

"Oh! Haseo!" Atoli's voice pulled him out of his mini-pep talk. "Good afternoon, I see you're here to give your answer as well."

"...Yeah." He nodded, avoiding eye contact with her.

Without another word, he entered the guild, Atoli following right after him. Waiting was Kuhn, a smile on his face. By the looks of it, he was expecting them to show up soon and was expecting good news… It almost made Haseo want to second-guess what he'd decided.

"Hey there! Glad you both came by… Yata's waiting in the Serpent of Lore to hear your answers…" He paused. "Just between us three? I'm sure you guys'll make the right choice."

Atoli returned his smile with her own. "Thank you…!"

"I made up my mind before I came here, so if that's an attempt to sway what I may or may not have chosen, it's not going to work." Haseo turned up his nose at Kuhn's words, heading for the Serpent of Lore.

Atoli let out a little gasp, chasing after him. "Kuhn was just being polite, you know! There's no reason for you to talk to him like that!"

"Maybe not by your standards, but we're not the same person!" Haseo didn't even turn to look at her. "I'm not about to let someone's words try and sway the choice I've made."

"I see… Then you've decided to not join?" Yata… looks like he'd heard exactly what Haseo said as he walked towards the room. "Or do you just want to make sure we don't think we have any influence over you?"

Haseo frowned. "I'll work with you, as long as you don't think you can always boss me around! You give me information on Tri-Edge and I'll do some of what you want." If it didn't get him closer to helping Shino, he wasn't interested.

Pi frowned from where she stood, a bit of a ways off from Yata. "What makes you think you're in the position to bargain?"

"If people like me are so rare, I'm pretty sure I have the right to bargain!" Haseo crossed his arms as he turned to look at her. "I'm not interested in being bossed around day and night for something I don't care about!"

"I see…" Yata looked to Atoli. "And what are your feelings on the matter?"

"Oh…!" Atoli squared her shoulders a bit. "I… I want to join! I want to be able to help people in every where I can, with Moon Tree and with G.U.!"

Yata smiled, clearly pleased with this outcome. "I see, then it is just Haseo with specific requirements for joining…"

Haseo sucked in a breath, preparing to leave if Yata used that fact to try and weasel out of listening to him. There was no room for messing around, as far as he was concerned. Yata could take the deal, or leave it.

"I suppose if only one has special requirements, we can reach to meet them."

Pi's eyes widened as she turned to the boy. "Master Yata…!"

"Do not worry, Pi. His request is simple enough, information on Tri-Edge is not as hard to come by as he might think." Yata turned back to look at Haseo. "Of course, you wouldn't be able to find said information on your own…"

Haseo narrowed his eyes, unsure if believing him was a good idea or not. "...Well, if that's the case and you're willing to do what I said, then I guess I'll be joining too."

"Good." Yata adjusted his sunglasses. "Then it's time to discuss what the next step is."

"Next step…" Atoli thought for a moment. "Wouldn't the best next step be awakening to our potential…?"

"Exactly, it seems you'll learn quickly." Yata nodded. "Pi and Kuhn will be helping you learn just how to do that, as well as how to bind the creature to you in a contract."

"It may sound daunting at first, but so long as you listen and do as you're told, there should be no issues." Pi spoke up at that point, stepping to stand in front of the two. "Of course, I'm guessing the young lady is more receptive to listening than you are, young man."

Haseo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, old hag. Just tell us what we're going to be doing already!"

"Old hag?!" Pi took a step back, clearly upset by the comment. She, however, did her best to recover and mask that, looking Haseo down. "The simplest way to awaken to your potential and draw the creatures to you is through battle. Of course, any old monsters don't usually do much in the way of pressing it…"

Haseo frowned, thinking again on the voice he'd heard when fighting Tri-Edge. He didn't trust these guys enough to bring it up again, but he had to wonder… Was the voice he heard the creature he had the potential to contract with…? Tri-Edge wasn't any old monster, after all…

"So they won't work… will we have to spar with you and Kuhn, then…?" Atoli tilted her head to the side, clearly not liking the idea.

"Of course not." Pi shook her head. "Regular monsters can work, it's just a long and tedious process to rely on them. Lucky for both of you, we believe another contractor is currently active and causing trouble."

"Lucky for us… What? You want us to hunt them down and fight them?" Haseo narrowed his eyes. "Want us to do your job for you or something?"

"Of course not, one of us will be with you. It's simply the fastest way to awaken you to your potential and to avoid any unnecessary injuries to either of you."

"You won't even have to truly hunt…" Yata spoke again, bringing up a screen that displayed a pretty man. "This is Endrance, the current Emperor of the Demon Palace in Lumina Cloth. You will simply enter the tournament with Pi or Kuhn and fight your way through it… I'm sure a Harvest Cleric and the Terror of Death would be able to do such a thing with ease."

"A...alright!" Atoli gave a nod after the moment, though the twisting of her hands and the movement of her feet clearly marked her as nervous. Of course Haseo was going to have to work with someone so nervous...

He sighed, looking at Yata. "...Fine. But I expect you to hold up your end of the bargain too!"

He chuckled. "Of course… Now, go ahead and go prepare yourselves. Stock up on any items you may need, as you'll be staying in Lumina Cloth for the duration of the tournament and won't have much time to come back."

"Oh, uh… How long do you think the tournament will be?" Atoli spoke up again. "I need to tell Sakaki how long I won't be available for Moon Tree."

"Anywhere from a week to a month's time, depending on how far you can truly make it." Yata replied so plainly...

Clearly the asshole didn't believe in them… So why was he making them do it again?! Seemed like a waste of time, if you asked Haseo! God, this was already pissing him off…

"I don't have time to be sitting around here listening to you guys chatting about this and that." He turned on his heel. "Just tell me when to be at the Chaos Gate so I can go get ready already!"

"Be there within three hours." Pi sent a glare his way. "If you're not there, I can assure you I will come looking for you."

Was that supposed to be scary? Because Haseo wasn't scared. "Fine, fine…"

He'd use those three hours to their fullest. He did need to say goodbye to Shino before being gone for so long, after all...


	6. The Encounter

**This chapter was half-written like this bc 'hehe, Haseo's face held between some clawed fingers'**

* * *

Haseo had done enough shopping that he was pretty sure he had a good half hour to spare just saying goodbye to Shino and telling Tabby to contact him if something went wrong… At least, that was what he was planning on until Gaspard came running up, tears in his eyes and shaking.

"H-Haseo…! It's bad, it's really bad!" He clung to his hip, sniffling and whimpering. "It… It's…"

Haseo let out a sigh, looking down at Gaspard. "Well? What is it? Spit it out already!"

"Silabus and I went out into a nearby field with Piros the Third a-and…" He clung tighter, sobbing. "It's Tri-Edge! We ran into Tri-Edge!"

Panic was the first thing to seize Haseo. More people were currently at risk of ending up like Shino…! And he was still in so much pain that he wasn't sure he'd be much help, should he try and do anything… But he had to try, didn't he?

"Take me there, right now, Gaspard." He couldn't sit idly by. "I'll make sure Silabus and that Piros guy get out of there okay."

"Haseo…" Gaspard wiped tears from his eyes. "You're the best guildmaster a guy could ask for! Follow me!"

Haseo didn't need to be told twice, though he did wish Gaspard could move a little faster. He could get why he didn't… What, with such short legs and all, but still! Every moment counted when it came to Tri-Edge.

Apparently, this was one of the fields close enough that you couldn't simply gate to it. Usually, Haseo wouldn't mind that, he hated the feeling of warping, but right now? When every moment counted? It made everything feel like an eternity…

Please be safe…!

Figures soon enough came into view. Silabus and a man in tacky golden armor (must've been the Piros guy) on their knees, clearly trying to keep steady and… Tri-Edge. Fear overcame Haseo for a moment, the unpleasant feeling of something being ripped from him coming back and freezing him where he stood.

"Haseo…?" Gaspard looked at him. "A-aren't you gonna do something…?"

Haseo swallowed hard, trying to push down the fear holding him down like a chain. He needed to help them, he couldn't let them get hurt…! But his body was alight with pain just thinking about what had happened.

Move, come on move! Before Tri-Edge hurts them like he hurt her…!

Tri-Edge had noticed him by now, walking right past Silabus, Piros the Third, and Gaspard. They were face to face, Haseo's heart squeezing in fear as warm breath puffed over his face. Was Tri-Edge planning on finishing the job?

He raised a hand and Haseo flinched away without thinking, raising his arms defensively. He waited for the attack that had nearly ripped him to shreds and… Nothing happened. What in the…?

He lowered his arms after a moment and, as soon as he did, Tri-Edge had a grip on his cheeks, pulling him closer. Haseo wanted to wretch himself away, but he couldn't, the grip was too strong…

"Stay out of the way…" His voice was raspy, as if rarely used. "Don't want to… again…"

It was as if he was dropping words, but Haseo couldn't parse what words they were, his head was still spinning as the monster released him and disappeared into a blue flame. As if he'd never been there to begin with.

"Wait!" He finally stumbled forward, hand outstretched and the fear fading, but it was too late. Dammit…!

"Haseo…!" Silabus scrambled to his feet. "You came!"

"Of course I did…" He pulled his hand to his chest. "I couldn't risk more people ending up like the afflicted."

The man in golden armor approached at that point, grabbing Haseo's hand and shaking it furiously. "Thank you, he of fair eyes! That rascal Tri-Edge could have been the end of us had you not come!"

"Ah… uh, yeah." He tensed as he hand was grabbed, still overloaded with everything that had just happened. "You should all be more careful about things like that. Tri-Edge isn't a laughing matter."

"We know that! I actually came out here to try and tell Piros the Third it might not be a good idea to hunt him down just because he's upset about what's happened to the architecture around…" Silabus bit his lip. "I guess I wasn't as careful as I should have been, though…"

"Well, try not to do that again." Haseo shook his head. "I'm leaving town to take place in some Arena tournament and won't be here to save your ass if it happens again…"

"The Arena?" Silabus's interest was piqued. "Well, if you're going to participate in the Arena, you'll need a team! Gaspard's always been a bit too nervous to join in, but to make up for this, I could join you!"

Technically, Haseo already had a team. Atoli and then either Pi or Kuhn… But he found Silabus so much more bearable than those G.U. guys, so… "Sure, I already have one teammate, so… That'd work for me."

"Great!" Silabus smiled at him. "Then let me pack my things and we can get going."

"I...I'll go too!" Gaspard walked up to them. "I won't be able to participate, but I'll cheer you on from the stands!"

"As will I!" Piros the Third placed a hand on Haseo's shoulder and another on Silabus's. "It is the least I can do for someone who can stand up to that dastardly Tri-Edge!"

"You guys really don't have to do that…" Haseo had a feeling they wouldn't listen to him if he tried to cut down on the number of people, however, so… "But fine. Just make sure you stay out of my way when we're not doing tournament things."

"Of course!" Gaspard nodded before looking at his feet, bashful. "But… If you were to consider maybe hanging out some of the time, that might be nice… I wanna get to know my guildmaster better!"

No. "I'll think about it." He could at least try and be nice after such a big scare, he guessed. "For now, we should get back to Mac Anu and get your stuff packed. You can all meet me at the Chaos Gate in…"

Wait, how long has this all taken? He'd only had a half hour until he was supposed to meet with Pi and the others when Gaspard came running up to him, so… He pulled the device that allowed for communication, also useful for telling time.

Well shit, there were ten minutes until he had to be there. No way would he make it in time… Pi was gonna be so pissed, and he'd rather not deal with that right after all of this had happened, so…

"Actually, all of you meet me at Canard after you've packed up. We'll head to the Chaos Gate from there whenever you're all ready."

Screw it, might as well take his time if Pi was gonna be pissed at him either way, right?


	7. The Arena

Pi was pissed and Haseo was the reason. And did Haseo really care? Well, no. The old hag was going to have to deal with him making some decisions that didn't align with what she (and her 'Master Yata') wanted. Silabus just so happened to be a quick way to do that.

"Should I just come along to cheer you on instead…?" Silabus scratched his cheek, looking at Haseo with a frown.

"No, Pi's just mad I didn't defer to her oh so important instructions perfectly." Haseo shrugged. "I'd rather fight with you than with her or Kuhn, and that's not gonna change."

"You just started working with us and you're already doing this?" Pi narrowed her eyes, getting in his face. "What makes you think you have the right to?"

"It's to make sure you don't get too comfortable."

"Why you-"

"Now, now…" Kuhn stepped between the two, a hand on Haseo's chest and the other on Pi's shoulder. "No need to fight about it. For now, let's go under the assumption Silabus'll be helping Haseo and talk to Yata about it and see what to do."

"Kuhn…!" Pi frowned, stepping back and crossing her arms. "I suppose that would work. We need to set up… Make sure we're settled into the inn before it's time to sign up for the tournament."

"Then let's go." Kuhn smiled, placing a hand on the Chaos Gate. "Lumina Cloth!"

Soon enough, they were standing in the middle of one the most advanced towns in the area. Lights on the street making sure the eternal night time didn't feel so nocturnal… Haseo had never really spent any time here while he was focused on the hunt, but it was nice…

He was sure plenty of people got a kick out of the bloodsport in the Arenas around here, too. It was, after all, a way to beat on your fellow hunters without being frowned upon for your actions… What a waste of time.

Pi looked over at Haseo, a frown on her face. "You and your three friends need to go keep yourself busy for a few hours."

Haseo furrowed his brow. "Excuse me?"

"I'll need as few distractions as possible to make sure getting all the rooms we need goes smoothly. There are unexpected extras along with us now, after all." She crossed her arms. "I will contact you when you're done, you will tell me where you are, and I'll come get you."

What, was he some little kid who needed his mother to escort him home at the end of the day?! That was so annoying, he didn't even know where to start. For one, if he said something he was sure Pi would turn it back around on him…

"Fine." He would just wait to fight on it if it became too much of an issue. "Come on you three, let's go check out the Arena."

"Good idea!" Gaspard followed after him with a smile. "I think the Demon Emperor Endrance has a match today! He's apparently really impressive and I've wanted to see him fighting…"

"It's really good timing! The Demon Palace Tournament is the one we're entering, right?" Silabus tilted his head to the side. "It might be good for us to see what we might come up against, depending on how far we get."

"Yeah…" He nodded. That was perfect timing. Maybe he could finally see why these humans who could contract with monsters were such a big deal…

"Worry not, he of fair eyes!" Piros slapped him on the back, a little too hard. "This will give you the upper hand."

He bent over for a moment, tears stinging in his eyes as pain flared up against his back. "I know that…! I wasn't worried…"

He stalked off a little faster, the three trying to chase after him. He didn't say anything else to any of them until they were in the spectators stands. They made it just in time to see the start of the battle, too. Lucky them.

Haseo had to note that Endrance was almost prettier off of a screen, not that he could see him very well from all the way up here. Thank god for the screens giving a better look at what was happening, huh?

He's got slitted pupils and whiskers….? Haseo furrowed his brow. He hadn't seen that in the image Yata had showed him…

He watched quietly, trying to figure it out when suddenly, things weren't quite a simple Arena fight anymore. Endrance had summoned a two-tailed cat monster out of nowhere, the creature knocking the challengers to the ground in a second flat.

"Whoa!" Gaspard let out a gasp. "That was over in an instant! ...I couldn't see what happened, though."

"You couldn't see that monster?" Haseo looked over at him, brow furrowed. "Gaspard, it was right there."

"What are you talking about, Haseo?" Gaspard tilted his head to the side before looking at Piros and Silabus. "Did you guys see anything like that?"

"Not at all." Silabus shook his head.

"Are you tired after our run-in with Tri-Edge, he of fair eyes?" Piros gave him a concerned look. "Perhaps we should go rest somewhere while waiting for your escort to find us!"

"What?! No!" He shook his head. "That's not it. There was a monster right there, he summoned it and it knocked the fighters out! You guys can't be telling me you didn't see it. It looks like a cat-"

"You mean the cat on his shoulder?" Silabus pointed to the screen once again and Haseo turned to look.

On Endrance's shoulder was a small white cat, nuzzling up against his face. Nothing like the monster he had seen, with purple being the color that stood out to him… If Silabus was implying he mistook a small cat like that for a monster, he was gonna be pissed.

"Not at all!" He looked at him, eyes narrowed. "Why? Do you think I'm stupid enough to think something as small as that is a threat?"

"I'm not saying that at all!" He shook his head. "It's just… Well…"

"You seem on edge, Haseo." He froze at the sound of a familiar voice. He was here.

He turned on his heel, just in time to see Ovan walking away. He didn't even spare a glance back to see if Haseo had plans on following him or not… The same as always.

"Ovan, wait!" He ran off after him, ignoring the confused yells of Gaspard and Silabus, barely registering the sound of Piros the Third falling in an attempt to chase him, and the feeling someone was looking at him.

He barely stole a glance back before running out the of the Arena. Maybe that feeling wasn't just a feeling, but he had no time to wonder why the Demon Palace Emperor was looking right in his direction right now.

Not when he needed to catch up to Ovan before he was gone again.

* * *

**Macha - Nekomata**


	8. The Stakes

**I'm so bad at keeping up with posting here, I'm so sorry. Have 2 chapters in one update**

* * *

"Ovan!" Haseo finally cornered the man behind the Arena. "There you are! Why didn't you find me after the Hulle Granz Cathedral?"

"I had no reason to believe you were still alive…" Ovan shook his head. "You ran off ahead, and when I got there, you were nowhere to be seen, after all."

"But… Tri-Edge isn't known for killing his victims." Haseo furrowed his brow. "Did you at least check Mac Anu to see if I was with the other afflicted?"

Ovan went quiet for a moment. "...Yes, of course. You not being there just furthered my thought that you may no longer be among the living. I'm glad to see I was wrong."

Haseo made a face. "I don't believe you! There's no way you just so happened to be here when I got here."

"What? You don't think I could have just happened to be viewing an Arena battle at the same time?" He tilted his head to the side, expression unreadable. "Coincidences do happen, Haseo."

"Yeah, but with you? Coincidences don't seem to happen often." At least not without something going wrong…

Ovan chuckled. "Is that so? What, Haseo, do you think I'm pulling strings behind the scenes?"

"I'm not sure at this point…" Haseo bit his lower lip, shaking his head. "You know, this wouldn't be the case if you just talked to me about things! I never know what you're thinking!"

"You don't need to know what I'm thinking, do you? All you need to do right now is get stronger and get to the bottom of what's caused all of this." Haseo hated that he knew Ovan was right…

"You-"

"There you are!" Pi's voice cut through Haseo's own as she approached. Behind her, Atoli, Silabus, and Gaspard looking a bit sorry for him. "They told me you ran off without a word to them… What do you think you're doing?!"

"I needed to talk to Ovan!" He crossed his arms, leaning towards Pi. "I didn't have time to waste, if you look away from him for one minute he'll be-"

"I don't see anyone else here."

"-gone. Oh god dammit!" Haseo turned around and Ovan was indeed missing from the spot he'd just been standing in. How in the hell had he done that?!

"Well?" Pi spoke up again. "Do you have an explanation?"

Haseo let out a huff, turning to look at them. "...He was here! I swear!"

"That doesn't matter now! We're heading back to the inn now to discuss our plans." Pi shook her head with a sigh. "I swear… First one of your little friends gets hurt when you run off and then you lie about why you did…"

"Wait, one of them got hurt?" He furrowed his brow.

"That Piros the Third fellow, he hurt his head and Kuhn is taking care of him…" She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "That doesn't matter right now, come on."

Haseo didn't have it in him to argue anymore… He had seen Ovan! He really had! But Pi clearly wasn't going to believe him… It'd end up being a waste of the time if he tried. Dammit, he felt so stuck right now.

And he felt like that as they continued to walk back towards the inn. Well, at least until someone slammed into him and he felt a shot of pain running through his body. Sitting in front of him was a little boy, rubbing the top of his head with a sniffle.

"I… I'm sorry, Mister!" He spoke, eyes watery as he looked at Haseo.

Everyone else in the area, those he'd been with and… was that Endrance? - were staring at him, as if expecting him to blow up on the boy. However… No, there was no way Haseo could treat a kid badly.

"It's fine…" He flinched at he moved to pat the kid on the head. "Try and be more careful, alright?"

"O… oh, yes! I'm sorry!" He stood up as Haseo offered a hand and pulled himself up. "I… I was just trying to get an autograph for my sister and…"

"If you were trying to get an autograph, why were you running off so fast?" Atoli tilted her head to the side. "Did you see who you wanted one from?"

"Uh… no…" He bit his lower lip. "M… Mister Endrance told me no and I felt so embarrassed that I wanted to stop being a bother as quickly as I could…"

Haseo narrowed his eyes as he turned his gaze on Endrance. "You can't even spare the time to give a kid an autograph, huh Mister Demon Emperor? The masses too below you for that?"

Endrance was clearly looking at him now, a bored expression across his face. "Oh… You were at the match…"

"Yeah, I was." Haseo stepped forward despite the look on Pi's face and the boy clinging to his arm. "How about you answer me! You too good for autographs?"

"She finds such things boring…" He looked away. "Just as she finds weak people like you boring."

"Weak?!" Haseo got in his face at that point. "What makes you think you can just call me weak?!"

Their gazes met, the slitted pupils putting Haseo on edge. "A battle against you wouldn't last more than a minute. That's what I mean."

"Why you-"

"Haseo! Enough!" Pi's voice cut through his anger like a knife. "We're leaving!"

"No, not yet."

"Excuse me?"

Haseo looked at Endrance again. "Say what you want, but I'm gonna kick your ass in the upcoming tournament! And you'll give this kid the autograph he wants!"

"...Fine, if you can, by some miracle, win." Endrance placed a hand on Haseo's cheek, fingers brushing against his scar. "Don't expect much, though…"

Before Haseo even had a chance to try and reply, Endrance had removed his hand and walked away. What an ass…! He was about to turn to Pi and tell her they could go now when he felt a tugging on his arm.

"Uh… Thank you mister!" The boy's soft voice hit his ears. "I'm sorry, though… I got you into a lot of trouble…"

He shook his head. "It's nothing, you said it's a present for your sister, right?"

"It is! I wanna get her a flower and an autograph from her favorite celebrity… But I haven't been able to get either yet." He kicked at the ground, still holding onto Haseo's arm.

"Well, you'll be getting that autograph, no matter what." He ruffled his hair again. "Don't worry about it, kid."

He looked up at him, eyes wide. "Really? You're not angry?"

"Nope, if I'm angry, it's because that Endrance guy is way too cocky! Not anything you did."

He smiled at Haseo at that point. "Thank you mister! I… I'm Bo! I'll make sure to send you a present later!"

"Wait, you don't have to do that-"

"Bye, Mister!" And with that, Bo was running off, seemingly excited. Well, that was fine, Haseo guessed. He was glad he'd helped the kid out, even if just a little…

And now he had a little more reason to win.

He turned to the others, Pi clearly annoyed while the others were grinning ear to ear. What the hell…?

"You guys seem pretty happy… Why?" He furrowed his brow, arms crossed against his chest.

"You're softer than you look, aren't you?" Atoli giggled, leaning closer to him, arms behind her back. "I knew it!"

"It's great to see! Even the Terror of Death has soft spots, huh?" Silabus smiled at him and Gaspard nodded in agreement.

"W...what?!" He shook his head. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about!"

"Aw, he's denying it!" Atoli looked at the others. "Isn't that cute!"

Gaspard laughed. "Adorable!"

"Stop it…!" He looked around, eyes finally settling on Pi for help. "Come on, tell them to knock it off so we can move on!"

Pi thought for a moment. "...They can keep talking, as long as we keep walking."

"Hey…!"


	9. The Awakening

**Hooooo**

* * *

After getting to the inn and making sure Silabus and Gaspard were in the 'out of the know' room with Piros the Third, Haseo found himself sitting on the bed of one of the two rooms they were using as a base of operation. Apparently they'd at least been able to decide what to do about Haseo giving Silabus the go ahead to fight in the Arena with them…

"Since you seem so sure bringing Silabus along is a good idea, we've decided we'll enter two teams into the fight." Pi fixed her glasses, looking Atoli and Haseo over. "Haseo, Atoli, and Silabus will be one team, and you'll focus on trying to awaken to your potential. Hopefully us watching in the stands will help the same as if we were fighting next to you both…"

"What'll the other team be for?" Haseo frowned, head tilted to the side.

"A hired blade, Kuhn, and I will be going through the tournament with the intent of reaching Endrance." Pi spoke plainly. "You two won't be able to do anything without your own monsters, so this will be the safest bet."

"Wha…! But I can't just let you focus on that! I have to win to prove that bastard wrong and-"

"And make sure that Bo boy gets the autograph he wants for his sister, right?" Pi sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry to say, but one little boy's wishes aren't enough for us to change our course of action. This wouldn't be an issue if someone hadn't invited someone else to fight alongside him in the tournament."

Haseo grimaced. "You can't turn that around on me! You can't tell me to not aim to beat Endrance, either-"

"You can shoot for it, but you'll learn quickly that you can't do anything against those who control monsters." Pi glared down at him. "That'll become clear if you make it far enough to face off against us."

"You…!"

"Now, now. That's enough!" Kuhn looked at Haseo. "We don't wanna hurt you guys, so think about throwing the match when we get there, okay? For now, you two should get some sleep. We have to sign up first thing tomorrow morning if we wanna do this, and going in tired would be a bad idea."

"Kuhn is right! Now isn't the time to argue…" Atoli turned to look at Haseo with a smile. "It's going to be alright, I'm sure Bo will understand that you tried your best-"

"I don't wanna hear it!" Haseo stood up and started for the door. "I'm not giving up that easily!"

"It'll be your problem when you realize you can't stand up to us…" Pi sighed, shaking her head. "Go to sleep."

Haseo didn't have to be told twice, huffing off to his room with Kuhn following after him. He curled up on his bed, ignoring Kuhn's attempts at conversation. He was not a happy camper and he was going to make that as clear as he could. Kuhn seemed to get that loud and clear quickly enough, too. Good.

Now he could just drift off to sleep, hopefully. He needed to be able to kick some ass the next day…

_Haseo looked around, darkness surrounding him. Where was he…?_

_"Haseo." He froze, eyes widening, at the sound of Shino's voice. "Haseo…"_

_He turned, seeing her back, seeing her walking away from him. Farther and farther away. He couldn't let her get away, couldn't let her out of his sight. If he did that, she might end up like that again._

_"Shino…!" He started running after her, arm outstretched. "Shino don't leave…!"_

_No matter how fast he ran or how much, though, he never got closer to her. She seemed to get farther and farther, until she was gone. Gone, probably afflicted, unable to be saved as Haseo was right now._

_"No, no… Shino…!" He fell to his knees, another figure appearing, approaching. "Tri-Edge…!"_

_He tried to pull himself to his feet, anger bubbling in his chest. He would never forgive him for what he had done, for what he had taken. He would never rest until he had killed the monster, had saved Shino…!_

_"Don't want to… again…" The strange words he'd spoken in their last run in echoed through his head again as a clawed finger rested under his chin. Words he knew starting to blend with ones imagined. "Not strong enough to beat me…"_

_He wasn't strong enough, no matter how much Haseo wanted to be. He was too weak, so easily defeated and still aching from it. His body ripped up badly enough that he wasn't sure how long it would be before he could remove the bandages for good…_

_The clawed finger under his chin vanished as reality began to crash down on Haseo. He had to get even stronger, the way he was now would be useless in his goals. Stronger, stronger. He had to defeat Endrance, had to awaken to his potential and find this monster… He-_

"Haseo!" He was shaken awake by Kuhn. "It's time to go sign up for the tournament, come on."

He sat up with a groan, allowing the other guy to pull him to his feet. He felt like he hadn't slept at all… Such a short nightmare had taken so much out of him, and he couldn't remember anything else from the night…

"Shit… Okay." He dragged himself into the restroom and pulled his armor back on. It hurt so bad, and he didn't even have time to change his bandages. Hopefully the first round wasn't today.

He followed after Kuhn and Pi, mind numb. He didn't even listen to most of what they were saying, or what was said when he agreed to signing up for the tournament. Not until an issue became clear.

"Team Haseo will be fighting first today! Please make your way to the waiting room!" The woman behind the counter's tone was chipper, as if Haseo wasn't looking like death right now.

"Go there… Right now?" Shit.

"Indeed!" She nodded. "Your battle will start soon."

He had no choice in the matter, it seemed. He couldn't drop out just because he was exhausted, after all… He followed the woman's instruction, Atoli and Silabus following right behind him.

"Haseo, are you alright…?" Silabus's voice was full of worry. "You look like you're about to collapse."

"Maybe we should forfeit, I'm sure Pi and Kuhn will understand if you're too tired to do this…" Atoli spoke up as well, standing next to him. "Please-"

"I'm fine." He made his way to the displays on the wall, reading over the information about their enemy. Bordeaux and her goons, huh? "There's no way I could forfeit, she'll think I'm afraid of her if I do…"

"Haseo… I don't think pride should be keeping you in the game." Silabus looked over the list as well. "I know she's bullied us, but-"

"I'm not forfeiting. If I lose, it's gonna be in battle." And he didn't plan on losing.

That finally got Atoli and Silabus to be quiet. Good, he didn't want them nagging him as he finally walked to the teleporter. It was time to start battle… They could make it through this, he was sure.

Soon enough, they were in the Arena, people cheering and making Haseo's head hurt. God, he was exhausted and hurting… They needed to take care of Bordeaux and her goons as fast as possible.

"Ooooh, look who it is!" Bordeaux grinned at him. "Finally facing us head-on, huh? Oh, but you have a cute girl with you instead of the little round one! Was he too scared?"

He voice was full of mockery, making Haseo's brow twitch downward in annoyance. "We're not here to talk. We're here to fight!"

"Good, let's see what you can do here, Mister Terror of Death!"

With that, it was time to start fighting. Haseo wasted no time going right for Bordeaux, slicing at her with his dual blades. A lot of the attacks were connecting, but not doing nearly enough damage. He couldn't swing them like he had before being constricted by all these bandages… Shit.

She laughed, kicking him square in the chest and sending him reeling back, clutching in pain. It hurt …

"Repth!" Atoli healed him as Silabus fought off the guys trying to get to her, though it didn't do much. The pain Tri-Edge left him with couldn't be healed with a simple spell, it seemed.

He dragged himself to his feet, anyway. He couldn't go down that easily. He couldn't lose… He ran at Bordeaux again, their blades clashing. Negimaru approached from behind, stabbing him in the side and sending him off balance with a yell.

Atoli once again healed him, but he was staggering, watching Bordeaux's delighted expression with anger.

"That's all you've got?! Man, you've gotten weaker, haven't you?" She let out a bark of a laugh. "After this, we'll have to find that round one and show him who's boss!"

His eyes closed for a moment. No, this couldn't be it, this couldn't be the end…! They'd just started…

When he opened his eyes, he was in the black area from his dream. He clutched his chest, something felt different… Like a power he didn't know he had was flowing through him. Had he awoken to his potential…?

Bright reds lights made him look up and he felt pain shoot through his hands. It felt like the bones were breaking, reshaping into something sharper, more dangerous. The bright red lights, almost like eyes, continued to stare at him.

"I HAVE FOUND YOU." A voice travelled through his head and the lights moved, a giant form approaching and wrapping its hands around him.

When he opened his eyes again, it wasn't just him or his team or Bordeaux on the field. A demon was floating above him and he could feel it in his heart that this was the monster Yata had implied would be his partner. Skeith …

"Strike them down, Skeith!" He felt a grin coming to his face as the demon approached Bordeaux and her goons, all of them hapless, as if they couldn't see this.

"No, don't!" Atoli ran forward, grabbing Haseo by the arm. "Haseo, stop it!"

It was too late, though. Bordeaux was on the ground, Skeith gone from even his own line of sight, and the crowd going wild. Words of him being like the Demon Emperor coursing through the Arena… None of that mattered to him, though.

He shrugged Atoli off, a grin on his face. This was it, this was the power he needed!

He ignored Atoli's worried words and Silabus's confused ones, walking out into Lumina Cloth again. This was amazing… Now he could save Shino!

"Hey!" Kuhn's voice, however, did finally break him out of his thoughts. He'd never heard him that angry. "You can't just go using your creature like that! Not when you've just awoken to the contract!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" He made a face, arms crossed. "It let me win, didn't it? And it means I can go after Endrance… I don't see why it's a big deal!"

"You don't get it, do you?!" Kuhn shook his head. "You should only use that thing against the creatures we're hunting! Anyone else and you run the risk of hurting them, badly! Especially with Skeith!"

"What the hell are you talking about? The people got up just fine, didn't they?" He shrugged. "It's no big deal!"

Kuhn shook his head. "You can't be serious! Don't you remember what happened seven years back? When Skeith terrorized everyone, the harvester of souls? The Terror of Death?"

"Can't say I do, I don't remember anything from that year, sorry." He really just didn't care. It wasn't like Skeith had harvested any of their souls! It would be fine. "Besides, why wouldn't I use this power when I can? Saving it for specific monsters would be a waste!"

"You…!" Kuhn approached him. "You can't be using that power all willy-nilly like that!"

"I'll use it how I want to, thanks." He stepped around Kuhn. "In fact, I'll go use it right now to get a bit stronger. No point in letting the power go to waste."

"Hey…!"

"Just let him go, Kuhn, you're just wasting your breath right now."

Haseo walked off with a snort. Why did they think he wouldn't use it for more? It wasn't like his Skeith had actually sucked any souls or anything, as it stood! Just because it shared a name didn't mean it was the same as that past calamity or something.

Now he just needed to find a good place to test his skills.

"Hey kid…" A man wearing a mask approached him. "I heard you talking about going out and training, to get stronger."

"Yeah…" He nodded. "What about it?"

"If you really wanna get stronger, I suggest you go here." He handed him a piece of paper. "An Adept Rogue like you could make use of the job extension it awards."

"A job extension, huh…?" He did miss his broadsword and scythe… Maybe getting one back would be good. He looked down at the paper with a frown. "What's with the directions?"

"Use 'em when you get to the dungeon, it'll help." The man turned on his heel and started walking away. "Make sure you come and see me when you're done, alright? I wanna see how my pupil starts shaping up."

"Pupil?!" Haseo nearly chased after him to demand why he thought he could call him that, but stopped himself. He could just avoid the weird old man when this was done…

After all, it wasn't every day you could job extend. He needed to take the opportunity while he could, show Kuhn he knew exactly what he was doing with Skeith and get stronger.

"Might as well go, I guess…"


End file.
